The invention relates to a centrifuge comprising a separation chamber, with which a duct is permanently connected, a main rotor, on which the separation chamber is able to be bearinged, in a relatively rotatable manner with respect to it, by means of a bearing arrangement, and a guide means on the main rotor for guiding the duct from the middle lower part of the separation chamber into a part at a higher level than the centrifuge.
The most relevant prior art is constituted by the German patent 3,242,541, in which a centrifuge is described whose separation chamber is permanently connected with a duct. Such a centrifuge is designed without any sliding seals and renders possible a permanent connection between the separation chamber and the duct, which normally comprises a plurality of mutually parallel hoses or ducts in order to supply and drain off the components to be separated. As is described in this patent publication it is necessary to run the separation chamber at a speed of rotation twice that of the main rotor in order to prevent damage to the duct. A similar design is furthermore described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,519.
In the case of the centrifuges described it turns out to be a disadvantage that the separation chamber is bearinged on the main rotor by means of a hollow pipe. It is necessary for the duct to be inserted through the hollow pipe so that insertion or removal of the separation chamber is awkward. For the insertion of a rigid separation chamber it is in fact necessary to thread the duct or, respectively, centrifuge hose through the bearing. Since a complex hose array is attached to the lower end of the centrifuge hose, it is necessary for the latter to be threaded through the hollow shaft of the bearing.
In accordance with a further prior art design the separation chamber is inserted and attached in the centrifuge from below. This is as well an awkward operation which has to be done blind. Furthermore the overall size of this arrangement is substantially larger than the size of the separation chamber, since the drive must be arranged around the separation chamber on the outside. This in turn makes necessary a generally bulky design of the centrifuge as a whole, which has disadvantages not only as regards the costs of manufacture but also as regards handling.